Liza Minnelli Stepping Out! 2015

Liza Minnelli Stepping Out! 2015

Friday, January 9, 2009

Liza Minnelli Kicks Off CD Launch at Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble 2/3


Thursday, January 8, 2009; Posted: 04:01 PM - by BWW News Desk

New York critics and theatre audiences fell under the spell of Liza Minnelli's unmatchable magic when she returned to Broadway's legendary Palace Theatre and played a recent sell-out engagement. Now, music lovers around the world will get the same chance when "Liza's at the Palace..." the new original cast recording of her incomparable show will be released on February 3rd (Hybrid Recordings).

Helmed by veteran music producer Phil Ramone, the two-CD set captures Liza at her inspired best-with the first CD (Act I) featuring her signature hits and personal favorites followed by the second CD (Act II) a rousing tribute to the groundbreaking late-1940s nightclub act of Minnelli's godmother, Kay Thompson.

Along with a twelve-man orchestra led by conductor/drummer Michael Berkowitz and pianist/musical supervisor Billy Stritch, "Liza's At The Palace...." is highlighted with many of Liza's showstoppers such as "Cabaret," "Maybe This Time," and "New York New York" - as well as songs by Charles Aznavour, Roger Edens, John Kander, Johnny Rodgers, and Billy Stritch.

For the first time onstage and now on the recording, Liza pays an affectionate salute to her godmother, the late Kay Thompson who was a ground-breaking vocal arranger and musical director/vocal coach at MGM Studios. Supported by a quartet of dynamic singer/dancers, Liza performs musical numbers (with the original vocal arrangements) from Thompson's historic act with The Williams Brothers. Songs include "I Love a Violin," "Clap Yo' Hands," "Jubilee Time," and "Hello Hello" - set to brand new staging and choreography by Ron Lewis. Accompanying Liza onstage is Johnny Rodgers ,Cortes Alexander, Jim Caruso and Tiger Martina.

Starting February 3rd with a kick-off signing event at the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble store, "Liza's At The Palace...." will be available wherever fine music is sold, for the suggested retail list price of $19.98.

The original Broadway concert was produced by John Scher/Metropolitan Talent Presents & Jubilee Time Productions and directed and choreographed by Ron Lewis. Gary Labriola served as Executive Producer.


Act I - Disc 1

Teach Me Tonight / Music by Gene DePaul, Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
I Would Never Leave You /Music by Billy Stritch, Johnny Rodgers and Brian Lane Green
If You Hadn't, But You Did / Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
What Makes a Man a Man? / Music and Lyrics by Charles Aznavour
My Own Best Friend / Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Maybe This Time / Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
He's Funny That Way / Music by Neil Moret, Lyrics by Richard Whiting
Palace Medley / David Zippel, John Kander/ Roger Edens/ N. Bayes, J. Norworth, N. Graw S. Brooks/ M. Yvain, A. Willemetz, J. Charles/ H. Sutton, R. Grant, J. Lennox
Cabaret / Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Act II - Disc 2

But the World Goes 'Round / Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Hello, Hello / Music and Lyrics by Kay Thompson
Jubilee Time / Music and Lyrics by Kay Thompson
Basin Street Blues / Music and Lyrics by Spencer Williams w/ special verse by Kay Thompson
Clap Yo' Hands / Music by George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) / Music by George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin/Gus Kahn
I Love a Violin / Music and Lyrics by Kay Thompson
Mammy / Music by Walter Donaldson, Lyrics by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young
Theme from New York, New York / Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb

As a recording artist, Liza has received a Grammy Award / Living Legend Award; sold millions of records all over the world; made the Billboard charts; scored a Number One single; and three of her albums and one of her videos have been certified Gold by the RIAA. Liza has also recorded every genre of music, from Broadway to Pop, Rock, Blues, Country, Bluegrass, Disco, Dance, and Jazz. Her very first single, "You Are For Loving," sold a reported half million copies in 1963, leading to her signing with Capitol Records. Minnelli's first solo album, Capitol's Liza!Liza!, spent eight weeks on the Billboard charts in 1964. Along with Capitol, Liza has recorded for A&M, Columbia, E pic, Angel, and J Records.

Highlights of Minnelli8 0s recording career include: It Amazes Me; Flora, The Red Menace Original Broadway Cast (eight weeks on the Billboard Top 200 chart); Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli ‘Live' at the London Palladium (14 weeks on the Billboard charts); There Is a Time (Stereo Review Album of the Year); Liza Minnelli; Come Saturday Morning; New Feelin' (three weeks on Billboard's Top 200 Charts); Cabaret soundtrack (Gold Record certification, 72 weeks on Billboard's Top 200 album chart, reaching Number 25); Live at the Olympia in Paris; Liza With a ‘Z soundtrack (Gold Record certification; 23 weeks on Billboard's charts, reaching Number 19); Live at the Olympia in Paris; The Singer (20 weeks on Billboard, reaching Number 38); Live at the Winter Garden (four weeks on Billboard's Top 200 chart, reaching Number 150); Lucky Lady soundtrack; New York, New York soundtrack (14 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 chart, reaching Number 50); Tropical Nights; The Act original Broadway cast; Live at Carnegie Hall; The Rink original Broadway cast; At Carnegie Hall (eight weeks on Billboard's Top 200 chart, reaching Number 156); Results (Gold Record certified; 10 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 chart, reaching Number 128); Losing My Mi nd (single; Number One on the British charts; 15 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 Dance Tracks chart, reaching Number 11); Love Pains (single; two weeks on the Billboard Top 100 Dance Tracks chart, reaching Number 40); Stepping Out soundtrack; Aznavour-Minnelli : Paris; Live From Radio City Music Hall (video v ersion Certified Gold, and spent nine weeks on the Billboard video chart, reaching Number 23); The Day After That (single, for which she directed the music video); Gently (Grammy Award nomination, Best Traditional Pop Vocal; one week on Billboard's Top 200 chart, at Number 156 ); Minnelli on Minnelli : Live at the Palace; and Liza's Back! Compilations include The Complete Capitol Collection; The Best of Liza Minnelli; ; and The Complete A&M Recordings.

Liza Minnelli was born in Los Angeles and made her screen debut as a toddler in the musical In the Good Old Summertime in 1949. One of the world's best-loved entertainers, she won Tony awards for Flora, the Red Menace in 1965 and The Act in 1978, along with a third for Best Personal Achievement, resulting from her 1974 engagement at the Winter Garden Theatre. Nominated for an Academy Award® for The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), she won the best actress prize for her best-known film, Cabaret (1972), which also won her a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA. She won an Emmy for Liza with a 'Z' (1972) and was also the recipient of a Grammy Legend Award in 1989, making her one of the few artists who have won entertainment's top six awards. Liza has also been the recipient of three David di Donatello Awards - for The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), Cabaret (1972) and Lifetime Achievement (2002). Film credits include Charlie Bubbles (1968), Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970), Lucky Lady (1975), A Matter of Time (1976), New York, New York (1977), Arthur (1981) Stepping Out (1991), and The Oh In Ohio (2006). Liza recently attracted an entirely new generation of fans with her acclaimed turn as "Lucille 2" on the Emmy-winning Best Comedy Arrested Development, and for her appearance on the chart-topping album The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance.

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